Product News and Recalls

Treatment for Blood Clots, Deep Vein Thrombosis, and Pulmonary Embolisms

According to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an estimated 60,000 to 100,000 Americans die each year from deep vein thrombosis/pulmonary embolism.

Deep vein thrombosis is a blood clot that forms in one of the larger, deeper veins. Pulmonary embolism occurs when part of the clot breaks off and migrates to the lungs.

The CDC say that medicines called anticoagulants, or blood thinners, are most commonly used to treat deep vein thrombosis. The name is a bit misleading, since the ...

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Tips to reduce risk of blood clots, DVT,and pulmonary embolisms

Blood clots that occur in larger, deeper veins can be dangerous. They can migrate to the heart, lungs or brain with potentially deadly consequences.

So what can you do to reduce your risk of developing a blood clot? The Mayo Clinic offers the following tips.

  • Avoid sitting for long periods. If you travel by airplane, walk the aisle periodically. For car trips, stop and walk around frequently.
  • Move. After you’ve had surgery or been on bed rest, the sooner you move, the better.
  • Change ...
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Consumer Reports: Medical device approval process deeply flawed

A new issue of Consumer Reports includes an investigation into the process by which the federal Food and Drug Administration reviews medical implants for approval.

The report concludes that most medical devices aren’t tested before being implanted in patients’ bodies. The situation amounts to what’s essentially a large-scale medical experiment carried out on unwitting test subjects, made up of members of the public.

“For most implants and other high-risk devices brought to market, manufacturers do nothing more than file some paperwork and ...

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Patients rights groups oppose federal legislation that limits compensation for injury

Many patients’ rights groups are criticizing a measure that passed in the U.S. House of Representatives last week, which would restrict patients’ ability to pursue claims against negligent medical providers, including drug and medical device manufacturers.

According to Public Citizen, H.R. 5, the Protecting Access to Healthcare (PATH) Act, imposes an arbitrary $250,000 cap on non-economic damages, which would have a disproportionate impact on those with little or no earned income, such as children, full-time mothers and seniors.

Conservative groups such as ...

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Report questions timing of hip implant recall

A major Australian newspaper is questioning why the country’s regulatory agency for drugs and medical devices allowed DePuy’s all-metal hip implants to be sold there for years after data showed they had a high early failure rate.

The report in the Sydney Morning Herald mentions documents the New York Times obtained through the Freedom of Information Act, which indicated that DePuy executives sold the devices in the United States and abroad despite knowing that they were potentially dangerous for patients who ...

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Pharmacies deny emergency contraception to teens

Time Magazine’s blog reports a study that found about one in five pharmacies incorrectly denying teenage girls emergency contraception.

By law, teenagers 17 and older can buy the pills over the counter. The emergency contraceptives are also known Plan B or the “morning-after pill,” because they are most effective immediately following potential conception.

Researchers from Boston University, posing as either 17-year-old girls or doctors seeking Plan B emergency contraception for their 17-year-old patients, called 943 drugstores.

They found that 19% of pharmacists told ...

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